Teacher, 14-year-old among hundreds of Americans hit by gunfire over weekend

A Philadelphia school teacher, an Arizona teenager and a Chicago police officer were among hundreds of people struck down by bullets over the weekend, part of a relentless wave of shootings that has pushed gun violence to the forefront of US politics.

More than 124 people were killed and 325 wounded in 300-plus shootings documented in the United States since Friday, according to GunViolenceArchive.org, a Washington D.C. non-profit that tracks shootings.

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1 dead, multiple shot at party near Richmond in Virginia

Three dead, at least 11 wounded in Philadelphia shooting

The rash of violence over the weekend came on the heels of a series of deadly mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, Buffalo, New York, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, that re-ignited a national debate over tighter restrictions on gun ownership, which gun rights advocates fiercely oppose.

After the weekend shootings, a number of big-city mayors voiced frustration over the impact of the violence on their communities.

Police investigate a crime scene in Chicago. File/AP

"I'm tired of standing in front of you talking about guns and bodies," Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly told a news conference on Sunday, hours after two people were killed and 14 wounded in a shooting at a nightclub in his city.

"The surge in gun violence that we've seen across the nation and here in Philadelphia makes me not just heartbroken, but angry," Mayor Jim Kenney said on Sunday, the day after three people were killed and 12 injured when gunshots were fired into a crowded bar in the city's South Street district.

The Philadelphia shooting late Saturday night grew out of a confrontation between two men who exchanged words as they passed each other on the street, sparking a brawl that escalated quickly into gunfire involving at least four weapons, authorities said on Monday.

Reuters